Radeon 7000 PCI make OpenGL working within NT4 + Win 2000 and how to debug it - checking tools etc, on Win98/XP/2008 its working fine

[ruthan]

I never fully understand how OpenGL is initialized within Windows..

 Im trying to make OpenGL working on Radeon 7000 PCI (PCI-X slot, working at 66 Mhz regarding of Astra 32 ) within NT4 (SP6a) and Windows 2000.

OpenGL is working fine with Windows98, WinXP, Windows 2008 server.

 I always install graphics drivers and after i tried some OpenGl game like Quake 2 /3 / Hexen 2 demos and if its working or not.
Only other tool which i know to check GLinfo2, if there is nothing or Microsoft driver in info, OpenGL is not working, if there is data related to ATI / NVidia / Intel etc.. driver OpenGL is working.
Aida - has also some OpenGL info, but it seems to related to what card is capable same as GPU-Z, but not what is actually related what currently installed driver can do... on Linux there is glxinfo and glxgears for testing.

There was some utility called Glsetup distributed with some games like MDK2 but i not found yet, if there are versions for NT4 a Windows 2000, there are versions for Win9x + XP+

On Windows 2000 i have installed - ATI 6.14 driver, AMD web site is giving me 6.2 - its newer than 6.14 (2003-06) - it should be called 6.20 (2006) to remove confusion (but 6.20 is giving me boot bluescreen) , Windows NT4 - 4.3 - nt4-radeon-4-3-4013.exe

I now there is some called like OpenGL ICD or minidriver, what is related to registry path and it seems that something has to be set here right.. and some drivers do it and dont.. Clean Windows install with some drivers pack is usually set it right, later driver installs, upgrades seems to have sometimes problem to set it right..
  I made working Opengl with Voodooo Banshee and 86Box virtual machine fine, it could work at least with some videocards..

   I would understand if OpenGl would not supported within some old OS, but there is allways some atiglxx.dll or atiglx1.dll creally OpenGl related drivers installed in Windows\system or system32.. so it seems that OpenGL should be supported. 
  Sometimes helped me trick, remated atiglxx or nvidia nvopen.. to opengl32.dll and rewrite Windows\system* opengl32.dll but not with this case.. on Windows NT i was getting some dll call errors.. same with rewriting gl file within game folder with that from graphics driver.. because for example that within Hexen 2 install seems to be for Voodoo cards.
   There is also OpenGL setting as part of Display settings ATI catalyst enchancents, so it strange why these would be added to install if OpenGL would not be installed.

  Bellow are some screenshots, from working and not working setups.. i have tried manually has some keys to Windows 2000 or Windows NT install, but i never made it working.. and i read that change of settings need reboots to test, so its very time consuming.

  So question is can i make OpenGL on this card working with Windows NT4 or not.

 

GLinfo, when its not working:

WIndows 2000 registry not working:

My tries, im not sure about keys data types and values and if it even can work:

 

Windows 98 Opengl working:

 

XP - Opengl is working:

 

Edited March 29 by ruthan

[ruthan]

  I looked all around the Web and found only a lot of failed stories - yes also one of mine because i have bad memory.. only sucess was someone with ATI FireGL professional card:
https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=74707 Win2000
https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=92359 // NT4
https://arstechnica.com/civis/threads/opengl-windows-2000-wrong.1066522/#post-18159157 // There is hint how to adjust registry to make Nvidia cards working with Win 2000
https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/opengl-and-radeon-7000.1639557/
https://retro.swarm.cz/nt4-opengl-mini-client-driver-model-matrox-millennium-i-ii-and-ati-rage-ii-pro/  NT4 - There is something like not full ICD driver, called MCD from microsoft its is working with Matrox and ATI Rage II cards
https://web.archive.org/web/20001018100724/http://support.atitech.ca/drivers/nt4_opengl_4392.html // ATI article for Rage II about OpenGL 
https://blenderartists.org/t/does-anyone-have-a-working-ati-opengl-driver-dll/317455/61?page=4 // Aricle for Blender, how someone made it working with backporting / coping old ATI Opengl opengl dll into Blender directory 
https://bearwindows.zcm.com.au/winnt4.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com#p3 - There is hint form Bearwindows that some NT hotfix can break Opengl to work

Warning: Security Hotfix KB891711 MS05-002: Vulnerability in cursor and icon format handling could allow remote code execution breaks hardware OpenGL support with some cards. To resolve this problem, replace \WINNT\SYSTEM32\WIN32K.SYS dated December, 2004 from KB835732 (or earlier one), or deinstall this hotfix.

Edited April 1 by ruthan

[ruthan]

I fixed WIndows 2000 had somewhere deep in my memory that i was using for some time something called - Omega drivers so i tried it at 1st try - *_w2kxp_omega_38252_7.exe, i everything started to work, i tired before i lots of ATI drivers..

   Registry entries seems to be the same, so problem is probably elsewhere. These 3rd drivers are always from people actually care, performance is nice and lots of settings as bonus.

 GLinfo + QUake 2 demo and Vampire Redemption demo, started to work right away.. Vampire has actually nice used drive info - so i that even for Opengl (i maybe Direct3D- but i really doubt it its using Quake 3 engine port) is ati2dvag.dll used, not atiglxx.dll as i suspected. I also found OneGL1 benchmark/test - which showed that before OpenGL worked somehow but probably only through Microsoft driver, so it was very slow.

  Quake 3 Demo(full game could have a bit better handling) still had problem to start - classic invalid Pixel format error, but i have google how to force different OpenGL.dll:
quake3.exe +set r_glDriver "name.dll"  // "" - real picture of command not some marker, you have to copy this dll to Quake3 root (it maybe not, but i had it for testing)
so i tried 3 usual suspects, atioglx1.dll atioglxx.dll and ati2dvag.dll -  atioglx1.dll was winner, who line:
quake3.exe +set r_glDriver "atioglx1.dll"

[ruthan]

I have tried Geforce 2 MX pci (maybe driver expect AGP only cards, but i doubt it 2D- DirectDraw test are running line) and lots of driver with the same machine same problem..
  There are special NT driver with opengl dll included, but it never works.. Some OpenGL are just dummy for NT4. Or there is some problem with creating right key to make OpenGL ICD registry keys,
or device creation, there are a lot of stories of failing with it.

  Maybe some OpenGL developer would know that needs to be done to make it working. 
Usual error in OpenGL initialization is SetPixelFormat failed..

  There are some Nvidia NT4 OpenGL benchmarks on Anandtech so it has to work at least with some cards, somehow:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-kx133-motherboard-roundup,186-18.html 

Edited April 4 by ruthan

[ruthan]

I made Geforce 2 MX working with Lenovo quadro OpenGL drivers after uninstallation of KB891711 KB.. I need more debugging to check where was a problem.